Wednesday, November 18, 2009

IT'S A BIG COUNTRY

We find that many of the folks in the US are woefully ignorant of how big this country is. When we asked why anyone would want to put casinos in Atlantic City NJ, we were told that one third of the American population lives within a tank of gas of Atlantic City. It holds true for dog shows too. If you live in New Jersey it is possible to hit 100 shows a year and never drive much over two hours.

I-5, A Painting by Cole Case

However, if you live in Northern California, as we did for over twenty years, you will find yourself spending a lot of time on I-5, the artery that runs from Mexico to Canda through the Golden State, Oregon, and Washington. This week we have a quartet of shows midway along that route. The first two day, Friday & Saturday, will be in Turlock CA, courtesy of the Golden Valley Kennel Club. Sunday & Monday west coast dog fanciers will pack up and drive up I-5 45 miles to Stockton CA for the San Joaquin Kennel Club’s Saturday/Sunday shows. These four shows will be the only option for those living in the Pacific & Rocky Mountain time zones.

Minneapolis Winterscape

That is unless you want to drive 2,000 mile to Belton TX for the Cen-Tex Kennel Club’s two shows or to suburban Shakopee MN for the Minneapolis Kennel Club’s weekend shows. Once you cross the Mississippi River, your choices start to improve. Invade the Windy City for the Lakeshore Kennel Club’s two shows in Chicago Heights IL or go 350 miles further east to the Clevelancd suburb of Tallmadge OH for a weekend with the Agathon Kennel Club. Southerners can spend a leisurely three days, Friday through Sunday, with the Anniston, Tuscaloosa, Montgomery Kennel Clubs in Montgomery AL.

Naples Florida Beach

After that, it’s all Eastern Standard Time. You can choose two days in the Gulf paradise of Naples Fl with the Greater Naples Dog Club, four days in West Friendship MD in the company of the National Capital, Northeastern Maryland, Upper Marlboro Kennel Clubs, & Chesapeake Kennel Club Of Maryland, or four days in West Springfield MA sponsored by the Holyoke, South Windsor, Windham County, and Springfield Kennel Clubs.

Whether you drive 700, 70, or 7 miles, enjoy a weekend with the beautiful dogs and friendly people at an AkC dog show.

1 comments:

Regarding your comment about the size of the US, one of the truest things I ever read was a comment about the difference between the US and Europe. The commenter - don't remember who it was - wrote that the difference between Europe and the US was that the US thought 300 years was a long time and Europe thought that 300 miles was a long way!

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SHOW INFO

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The author has been attending dog shows as a spectator and exhibitor for over 45 years. He is a retired management consultant who has advised multiple organizations affiliated with the AKC and the Cat Fanciers Association on business management, long range planning, customer service, and legislative matters. After 25 years of living in the big cities of New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, he now resides in his hometown of Memphis, TN.

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